Q&A (Part 1): Shopping – How do you do it?

I was so excited to get a question from one of my readers! I’ve answered it in 2 parts, so stay tuned for part 2!

Q: If you get home at 6pm how do you have time for everything? When do you shop for Shabbos and run errands? I can’t even begin to imagine how you feed your kids and get them into bed by 8pm! How do you do it??

A: Remember my post about the key to my success? Well, that’s how I plan every night. While I don’t update my chart weekly anymore, I still use the top portion as a guide for what needs to get done every morning and every night. I even have it hanging up on the kitchen wall and update it as schedules change. DH knows that each night we have to make sure everything on the chart is done before R&R time. I have each task color-coded, so DH knows exactly which ones he is responsible for.

I keep a running shopping list in my kitchen. As soon as I realize we need something, I write it down. On Tuesday I make my Shabbos menu and add the necessary ingredients to the shopping list. By Wednesday, the list is complete, so DH can do shopping Wednesday night. We try to buy as much as we can in one store to minimize the time we spend shopping. Our menus are usually pretty frugal, so I don’t worry about overpaying too much. It’s also a time vs. money decision and we usually choose time.

As far as small errands go, I try to do them during my lunch break. I work near Target and a mall and can usually find the things I need in one of those places. I try to print out coupons before I go, although that isn’t always possible.

I try to do most of my big shopping during the week without my kids. This way, things get done faster. When we do shopping on Sunday, we try to bring them along. I think it’s a great way to spend time together outside of the house.

Stay tuned for part 2 on how I handle bedtime.

Until next time,
Shaindy